Intubation devices, in general, are well known in the medical field. Tubes are often inserted into body passageways or cavities of a patient to ventilate, drain, irrigate and/or stent the cavity into which the tube in inserted. Continuing efforts are being made to design intubation devices that are easily and comfortably inserted into a patient, particularly when the tube must be left in place within the patient. It also becomes important to provide for a release of medication in a very controlled way in order to release a measured amount of active medication on long term.
One medical use for an intubation device is in the pre and post operative treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). CRS is a disease of the nasal and paranasal sinuses characterized by symptoms of facial pain, nasal obstruction, and rhinorrhea. The treatment of CRS whether pre-or post-operative, often requires the delivery of medication to the maxillary sinus area and other areas of the sinus cavity. In addition to the delivery of medication, it is often desirable to have in place an intubation device for irrigation of the area.
There has been some attempt in the prior art to provide medication to remote, inaccessible areas. These include in bedding a product which progressively melts over a period of weeks or months. The problem which such devices is that there melting process is influenced by the contact with fluids and thus makes the delivery of medication unpredictable.
An additional problem is the desirability to keep a stent in place in a cavity, such as the sinus cavity, over the course of several weeks or months in order to continue to be able to treat a particular area. Prior art devices were very difficult at the very least to keep in place.
Accordingly, what is needed is a stent which solves all of the foregoing problems namely, which can deliver a precise amount of a specific medication and/or irrigation fluids to a generally remote or inaccessible area over a long period of time; which by its shape is designed to stay in place in the cavity and which can keep open any desired opening into a cavity.